hey, everyone. it s 4:00 in new york. i m in for nicole wallace. special counsel jack smith is a prosecutor that stays out of the spotlight. he prefers to speak through his fiings. that s why his laltest brief in the federal election case merits our attention. over the weekend, the justice department responded to trump s claims that he is immune from prosecution. what he did was within the scope of his duties as president of the united states. it s an argument that trump was taking to the courts in order to get the whole election case dismissed. the special counsel is speaking to the court. let s be honest. he s also speaking to any of us who care about the health of our democracy. prosecutors acknowledge the fact we re dealing with an unprecedented situation. for the first time in our nation s history, a grand jury charged a former president of committing crimes while in office to overturn an election he lost. in response the defendant claims to protect the institution of th
breaking news. a major trump legal ruling could come at any moment. the former president just filing court documents. will he be thrown off the ballot in another state? plus, russia launches the most massive aerial attack on ukraine since the invasion began. president zelenskyy says russia used nearly every type of weapon. and dolly parton grants a bucket list wish, surprise ago fan with a personal phone call and making his dreams come true. you ll hear it for yourself. let s go out front. good evening. i m breonna keilar. out front tonight, breaking news. we are waiting a major legal ruling for former president trump any minute now. the oregon supreme court could decide whether trump will remain on that state s 2024 ballot. moments ago trump s attorneys filing a brief with the court urging them to keep him on the ballot. right now trump is banned from the 2024 ballot in maine and colorado. trump has not yet appealed either of those decisions but cnn also learning momen
this is cnn breaking news. we start with breaking news this hour. cnn has learned that donald trump and his legal team are expected to file appeals this tuesday, challenging his removal not just from the ballot in colorado, but also in maine. cnn s paula reid has more reporting on the next steps in these disputes over who is going to be on the ballot. so much at stake for the 2024 election. reporter: the supreme court facing increasing pressure to weigh in on whether states can remove former president trump from the 2024 ballot. after maine became the second state to kick him off based on the 14th amendment s pan on insurrectionists holding public office. new secretary of state has a presidential candidate invalid access based on section 3 of the 14th amendment. no presidential candidate has engaged in insurrection and beenis disqualified. in maine, ballot eligibility questions first go to the secretary of state, not the courts. trump has called for democrat shenna
as millions gather for new year s eve celebrations. preparations are underway in some of the nation s biggest cities, with the fbi warning of increased risks of attacks. tonight, we speak with the nypd about keeping the ball drop safe. and a new year means new laws. for half the country, that means minimum wage is going up. we ll take a look at how the increase impacts workers and businesses. but we begin with the weather, and millions of americans bracing for rain, wind, and possible flooding. there s also a risk of more massive waves like the ones that slammed the california coast, some as high as 25 feet, damaging homes and prompting evacuations. cbs s reed cowan will start us off tonight from northern california. reed, good evening. reporter: good evening, major. well, communities all up and down the california coast hit hard by this powerful storm, arguably some of the worst damage here in the coastal community of aptos. they really got hit hard. a lot of people who li
happening now, death and destruction in multiple cities across ukraine, after the biggest russian air bombardment since the start of the war. president bilotta mir zelenskyy now pleading with the international community for help to respond to what he is calling an act of terror. also this hour, the trump campaign promising a quick appeal after the former president was removed from the 2024 primary ballot in mainframe the risks of chaos are rising tonight with two states now disqualifying trump based on the 14 amendments insurrectionist ban. in just 17 days before the iowa caucuses, the fallout is continuing tonight for republican presidential candidate nikki haley after her answer, or nonanswer, about the cause of the civil war. chris christie calling her a slippery, slick politician. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. wolf blitzer is off today. i am caitlin collins and you are in the situation room. we begin this hour with russia s mas